Hugo Henkel

Hugo Wilhelm Henkel (* 21 January 1881 in Düsseldorf; † 18 December 1952 in Hösel) was a German chemist and industrialist.

He remained in this position until 1938, after which, under pressure from the National Socialists, he moved to the newly founded advisory and supervisory board.

He was instrumental in the founding of the First German Whaling Company mBH, with its headquarters initially in Bremerhaven, and later at Ballindamm in Hamburg.

To this day, the Foundations headquarters are located in the neo-Baroque villa built in 1911 by Hugo and Gerda Henkel in Malkstenstrasse 15.

[citation needed] From 1905 onwards, he developed a scientifically based "method of hand washing", which gained recognition at home and abroad.

[citation needed] On 19 September 1908, Hugo Henkel married the daughter of the sculptor Karl Janssen, Gerda, in Düsseldorf.

Their children Karl Jost (1909-1961), Gerda Ruth (* 1910), Elisabeth (1914-1998), later known as Lisa Maskell, Konrad (1915-1999) and Paul (1916-1942) were born of her marriage.